Desire and a Bottle of Merlot: (Like Sisters Series Book 5) Chick Lit: A Romantic Comedy (7 page)

“Tina! Oh my God, look what you’ve done,” Sasha squealed. “Dan, I’m so sorry. It’s just that we moved things out of the kitchen, and obviously Ms. Klutz forgot to step around the stool.”

“Well, shit, Sasha, thanks for the support, and I’m quite capable of speaking for myself. Sorry. I forgot about the damn stool sitting in the way.”

Sasha ran off to get a hand towel for Dan while the three men stood, staring at Tina, speechless.

A small chuckle popped unexpectedly from Tina’s mouth as she looked this gorgeous mess of a man up and down. “Oops. I didn’t mean to laugh.” The more she tried to suppress it, the less she could. She erupted with laughter, and one by one, the two men with Dan joined her.

“I’m glad the three of you are having a riot at my expense.” Dan groaned as Sasha handed him the white terrycloth towel. He wiped his face, not realizing the white towel fuzz clung to his beard stubble.

Tina burst out laughing even harder at that point and had to excuse herself and run down the hallway, slamming the bathroom door behind her.

“Who the hell is she, and what’s her problem?” she heard Dan saying.

Tina stood in the bathroom, after peeing, and looked at herself in the mirror. She needed to freshen up a bit and wipe the smudged, tear-stained mascara from under her eyes. She still giggled at the thought that a certain amount of payback had just happened without her even having to try. She needed to present a peace offering, though, if she wanted to remain living and learn more about this man named Dan. She ran a washcloth under the faucet until comforting hot water thoroughly soaked it. She gave it a squeeze and returned to the dining room, offering it to Dan with another apology, minus the smirk.

Sasha took Dan’s coat and wiped off as much of the cream and sugar as she could. She hung it over the porch railing to dry in the sun. Tina hoped it wouldn’t turn into a syrupy, sticky mess. Then Sasha went to the kitchen for a new bowl of sugar and cream, with Tina right on her heels. “Seriously, Tina, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you on crack or something? I don’t need you pissing off my workers, especially Dan. He’s the main carpenter, the ringleader if you will. He’s the guy that’s buying Josh’s house. I told all of you about him on Saturday.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know it was
him
. You’ll understand when I explain later. I guess we should sit with them and act like the gracious hostesses we are,” Tina said, still giggling.

“Yeah, there’s only one gracious hostess here, and it sure as hell isn’t you. You’re really a wing nut today.”

“So, who exactly are you?” Dan asked while trying to keep as far away from Tina as possible. He sat nearest the fireplace at the oversized dining-room table, five seats away from Sasha’s klutzy guest.

“I’m one of Sasha’s dearest friends, and who are you?” she asked smugly, cocking her head to the right.

“Obviously, I’m one of the construction guys. The name is Dan Mason, and to my left”—he pointed—“are Jeff Jackson and Bill Taylor.”

“Sasha said you’re the guy who’s buying Josh’s house. Where are you from?” Tina took a bite of the cobbler, licked her lips, and smiled.

Dan stared at her as if she were an alien, trying to figure her out but not really knowing if he cared enough to bother. “This is great cobbler and coffee, Sasha. Appreciate it. I’m from Croton-on-Hudson originally. Been gone for a while,” he said between mouthfuls of food.

“Where were you?” Tina persisted.

This chick is like a friggin’ mosquito that won’t leave me alone
, he thought as he sized her up. “In Albany for eight years, running my business. Have we met? You seem…”

“What… familiar? I get that a lot. More coffee anyone?”

Dan shook his head, a little annoyed and somewhat frustrated by this odd woman. “Okay, guys, we’ve got work to do. Thanks—it was great, Sasha.”

Tina watched out the large leaded-glass bay window as the men retreated around the house. She laughed when she saw Dan trying to button his coat, which had taken on a stiff, hardened texture like rock candy.

Sasha walked up behind Tina, snuggling Kismet in her arms, and watched through the glass with her. “Damn hot, right? So what’s your deal with him? Do you know Dan?”

“Not exactly.” Tina turned and went back to the dining room for one more helping of cobbler.

“Well then, how exactly, Miss Piggy?”

“He’s the guy that ran into me a few days ago. Evidently, you and I were talking about the same person Saturday night, and we didn’t even know it.”

“That’s damn funny. Why didn’t he recognize you, then?”

“He was busy texting on his cell phone when he bumped into me. I don’t think he even looked up when he made his lame-ass apology. You know it’s fate or kismet.” Tina chuckled and scratched little Kismet behind the ears.

“Maybe you should reintroduce yourself in a nicer manner and actually get to know him. Dan’s a pretty cool guy.”

“Or not. I don’t need a guy in my life—too much drama. Look at all the shit you guys have been through.”

“True, but sometimes I think we create our own shit. We all came out on the other side just fine. Sometimes we need a guy to blame everything on, or at least we think so. I like Dan, not to mention he’s smokin’ hot, sizzle… sizzle… like delicious bacon.” Sasha laughed as she jabbed her finger in Tina’s side. “Want a jar of apple butter to take home?”

“Abso-friggin’-lutely.” Tina looked at the clock and saw that it was close to noon. “I’m out of here. Talk to you soon, sister.” She gave Sasha an air kiss, scooped up her jar of apple butter, and traipsed through the soggy front yard to her car. She gunned the engine, spun around in the street, and headed straight for Vic’s house.

“Get this,” she said as she marched through the front door without as much as a hello. “The new boy toy in town that’s building Sasha’s deck is none other than the dipshit that knocked the Cokes down my shirt. Do you have any idea how cold it is to have a dozen ice cubes lodged in your bra and frozen to your boobs?” Tina made her eyes bug out like somebody in a stranglehold.

Vic laughed. “No, and I’m not in the mood to find out, either. So, what do you know that I don’t?”

“I was just at Sasha’s house, helping her move junk from the kitchen to the dining room. There he was. He’s the owner of the construction service that’s doing the work at the Victorian.”

“So, we’ll be seeing a lot of him. Is that what you’re saying?” Vic chuckled as she poured two glasses of Merlot and handed one to Tina.

“No, but probably… I mean, we can’t help it if he’s there when we are. Look how often we’re at Sasha’s house anyway.”

“And now maybe even more? Do we have a tiny bit of a crush on Mr. Coke Spill? What the hell is his name anyway?”

“His name is Dan Mason. It’s kind of a nice, strong, easy name to remember… huh?”

“Yep. Are you interested and thinking ‘Tina Mason’ already?”

“Hell no. I don’t need manflesh, or anything else, screwing up my perfectly content life.”

“Right… that’s why you’ve had separation anxiety ever since Karen picked up Claire.”

“Have not.” Tina huffed as she poured more wine.

“Time will tell, missy. Time will tell.”

With her duck boots on and socks pulled up to her knees, Sasha stomped around the vacant lot, wearing Josh’s tan, twill Carhartt jacket zipped up to her throat. She had Josh on the phone. “We have two days before the grapes are going to be delivered. I think the ground is dry enough to till up. Will you call the rental company and tell them to drop off a couple of rototillers today?”

“Sure, babe, not a problem. I can even get a start on the work if you don’t mind picking up J. J. later. He has softball practice after school, but they’re done at five thirty.”

“Okay. I’ll pick up dinner. How about KFC?”

“Yeah, that sounds great. Maybe I can convince Aaron to give me a hand for an hour tonight. Give Mia a call—they can have dinner with us. That should make things easier on everyone.”

“Okay, I’ll call her now. I love you, Josh. See you later.” Sasha strolled over to watch Dan and his crew busy working on the deck footings. “Looking good, guys.” She smiled and waved.

“Where’s Ms. Klutz today?” Dan asked as he poured the concrete footers.

“Why… do you miss her?”

“Yeah, like I miss a festering rash. My coat was as stiff as a board after that incident. There were even ants crawling all over it from the sugar. Everything is fine now. I threw it in my mom’s washer when I got home.” He laughed.

Dan sank the six-by-six treated post into the concrete and leveled it. The men took a ten-minute break before starting the next section. Dan and Sasha sat on the forest-green Adirondack chairs, out of the wind, and chatted. Jeff and Bill sat in the truck, one on the phone, the other enjoying a Marlboro menthol cigarette.

“Tina is very nice,” Sasha said, “just kind of guarded. I guess she’s seen her share of relationship drama from the rest of us. She’s not normally a klutz—you just surprised her, that’s all.”

“Me? Why would I surprise her?”

“It may not be my place, but I’ll tell you anyway. I never know when to keep my mouth shut, so why start now at my age?”

“Right, because you’re in your golden years?” Dan let out a full, hearty laugh. Sasha enjoyed her ability to amuse people. She didn’t even mind that at times they laughed at her instead of with her.

“Actually, I’m twenty-eight, but that’s beside the point. Tina said last week you bumped into her at Amelia’s and two huge cups of Coke tipped over, spilling down the front of her shirt, soaking everything from her neck to her pants. I think seeing you again startled her… and you know the rest. You have to admit it is kind of funny. It’s like that saying, ‘What goes around comes around.’”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, but I barely remember that incident. It was just an accidental bump and an apology. I never even looked up. Seeing her here didn’t ring a bell with me, but evidently seeing me rang one for her. She must really think I’m an ass. No wonder she thought it was funny when I had cream dripping off my face.” Dan chuckled at the irony of it. “Payback is a bitch even if it’s accidental, right?” He grinned at Sasha and told her he had to get back to work. “Don’t tell Tina I know. We’ll see how this plays out.”

“Got it—not a word,” Sasha said with a hand gesture to show she was zipping her lips. She went inside to call Mia. They made dinner plans for seven o’clock. Josh and Aaron would begin the rototilling at five thirty and could get in at least an hour of work before their feast of chicken, courtesy of KFC.

The brass pineapple knocker banged hard against the solid wood door Wednesday at noon. Sasha and Tina sat at the kitchen table in the dining room, enjoying grilled-cheese sandwiches, pasta salad, and decaf iced tea. Lately, Tina appeared at the Victorian more often than usual, saying she needed to help the “preggers” around the house and that she didn’t want Sasha to injure herself, or the baby, doing whatever it was that she did every day. Sasha yelled cheerfully and ran to the window. A large cube van had parked along the road. She threw the door open and stood staring at the face of a very grumpy-looking man.

“Ma’am, I have 450 grape plants in the back of my van, and I can’t pull into your driveway.”

“That’s wonderful—I’m so happy.” Sasha was beside herself with enthusiasm. Her dream was finally becoming a reality, and the evidence was a van filled to the brim with Concord grapevines.

“Yeah… right. I guess what I’m trying to ask is who’s going to unload these vines?”

“Oh, no problem, I’ll be right back. Just hang out on the porch for a minute.”

Sasha slipped on her clogs and ran around to the back of the house. Tina watched her from the kitchen window as she reached Dan and his crew. Her hands pointed this way and that. Laughter was exchanged, and like magic, the men followed Sasha to the front of the Victorian.

That girl is selling something men can’t say no to. Humph… I’ve got to buy me some of that.
Tina put on her shoes and walked outside.
Might as well pitch in
, she thought as she joined everyone at the back of the van.

The guys brought two wheelbarrows around to fill with vines. Tina gave Dan a sideways glance. He did the same but added a smile. Sasha disappeared into the shed and came out with a thick plastic tarp. She placed it at the back of the van, loading it with grapevines so the guys could drag it to the lot. An hour later, the van pulled away from the curb, and Sasha, Tina, and the guys plopped down on the porch chairs.

“I’ll get the iced tea,” Tina offered.

“I better stay out of the way.” Dan smirked.

Tina turned back. “Good idea,” she said, slamming the door behind her.

Sasha and Josh stood in Arrivals at Kennedy International Airport Saturday morning. She felt giddy and nervous at the same time. Sasha hadn’t seen her parents for nearly a year. She’d been deeply involved with Jack the last time she’d flown to France. She was living the model’s life and carrying a snooty attitude with it. A lot had changed since then. Sasha was settled, sweet, and capable, with a home and a family and more on the way. Weddings would take place soon, and they still had an entire vineyard to plant. She checked the arrivals board, where the digital readout showed that the flight just landed.

“They should be coming up the ramp any minute,” Sasha said while Josh held her hand tightly.

“You’re shaking, honey. Are you nervous?”

“Sort of. They’re in for a big surprise. I’ve changed a lot, Josh. I’m much different now than I was a year ago. Not only am I a different person, but they’re meeting you for the first time,
and
I’m pregnant.” Sasha chuckled, took a deep, calming breath, and kept watching.

“You know, you’ve never described your parents to me other than saying your dad is an actor and your mom is a homemaker. Oh yeah… also that they’re wealthy and own a chateau in the south of France… with a vineyard.”

“My dad is slender with graying hair and a mustache—very debonair, you know. He’s handsome and smart. My mom is a cutie pie.” Sasha looked up at Josh and grinned. “Actually, she’s beautiful and caught my dad’s eye right away, or so the story goes. She worked in food services at the movie lot when they met. Evidently, my dad would see her when he had lunch every day. He watched her, longing for her, until he got up the nerve to introduce himself. The rest is history. Mom has dark hair, like mine was, and she’s mysterious looking. I mean, she’s Russian, for Pete’s sake. I think I see them!” Sasha’s eyes filled with tears immediately when she was certain it was her mom and dad walking toward her. Smiles took over their faces the second they recognized their daughter among the crowd of people waiting. Sasha had given them advance notice that her hair was now short and blond. The waving began as their pace picked up.